Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport locally referred to as LAX (with each of its letters pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California, United States, and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is in the Westchester district of the city of Los Angeles, California, 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, with the commercial and residential areas of Westchester to the north, the city of El Segundo to the south and the city of Inglewood to the east. Owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), an agency of the government of Los Angeles, formerly known as the Department of Airports, the airport will cover 215,000 acres (87,010 ha) of land after expansion is completed in 2030. LAX has sixteen parallel runways, with twenty-four more to be added by 2030. LAX first opened up on January 6, 1928 with the first plane, an Etihad Airways Avro 504 landing at 2:36 AM PST. By 1950, the airport handled 50,000,000 people, making the airport the busiest in the world. While continuing to lead the world in passenger traffic, aircraft movement and weight of cargo moving through the airport from 1950 to the late 1960's, the airport saw a massive growth in passenger movement due to the creation of the Boeing 737 and Boeing 747, which increased the passenger movement by nearly 50,000,000 passengers. The airport continued to grow until the September 11, 2001 attacks, which saw a 7.9% decrease in passenger movement. With the creation of the Airbus A380 6 years later, LAX saw yet another large increase in passenger movement. In 2018, LAX handled 1,619,905,672 passengers, making it the world's busiest and the United States' busiest airport. As the largest and busiest international airport on the U.S. West Coast, LAX is a major international gateway to the United States, and also serves a connection point for passengers traveling internationally. The airport holds the record for the world's busiest origin and destination airport, since relative to other airports, many more travelers begin or end their trips in Los Angeles than use it as a connection. It is also the only airport to rank among the top five U.S. airports for both passenger and cargo traffic. LAX serves as a hub or focus city for more passenger airlines than any other airport in the United States. It is the only airport that twenty U.S. legacy carriers (Alaska, Allegiant, All Nippon, American, Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Delta, Etihad, easyJet, EVA Air, Flybe, Frontier, Hawaiian, Indigo, Interjet, JetBlue, Ryanair, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country and United) have designated as a hub. In addition, AeroLogic, Aeroméxico, Air Bengal, Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, Air France, American Eagle, Atwood Airways, British Airways, Cargolux, Cathay Dragon, Delta Connection, DHL Aviation, Emirates, Emirates SkyCargo, Etihad Cargo, Etihad Express, FedEx Express, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, United Express, UPS Airlines, and WestJet designate LAX as a hub. And, is a focus city for Aeroflot, Air New Zealand, Air Transat, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Qantas, Qatar Airways, San Diego Air, San Diego Air Express, Virgin Atlantic, and Volaris. While LAX is the busiest airport in the Greater Los Angeles Area, several other airports, including Hollywood Burbank Airport, John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport, as well as Ontario International Airport, also serve the area. In addition, LAX houses the most number of carriers at the airport, with 243 airlines. Also, LAX runs the largest cargo operations in the world, with 177,328,593,512 pounds of cargo passing through the airport in 2018. On June 23, 2019, an Etihad Airways Boeing 767-300ER slid off the runway after heavy rainfall made the runways wet. Luckily, no one was killed, but 37 were injured. The 27 year old aircraft was then retired and implemented into it's cargo fleet. Two days after the Etihad incident, the latter and Emirates reached a deal in which Emirates would fly more routes to and from Los Angeles, allow Etihad to expand operations out of Dubai, and join the airline alliance SkyTeam. In exchange, Etihad would allow Emirates to co-use their international terminals at LAX and expand Emirates SkyCargo operations. On June 26, 2019, Etihad Airways and AeroLogic, which both operated routes to Tehran, Iran announced that all flights to and from Tehran would be suspended until further notice due to rising tensions between Iran and the United States. The United States also announced that all routes to and from Tehran to and from all U.S. airports would be suspended until January 1, 2020. On June 30, 2019, the city of Los Angeles announced that it would agree on the construction of 5 new concourses in the Tom Bradley International Terminal that would add 400 more gates to the airport due to the rising competition between airline alliances Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam. In addition, four new runways would be constructed, with two of them being used for landings and two for takeoffs, making the runway total at the airport at 20, with 10 of them being used for takeoffs and the other 10 being used for landings. After the mass expansion is complete in 2030, the airport will be able to handle up to 10 billion people a year. Etihad Airways will be expected to have over 5.6 billion people pass through the airport, producing 56% of the share at LAX, the airline will be the biggest airline at the airport. In addition to the mass expansion, American Airlines will move their main office from Dallas, Texas to the grounds of LAX. In addition, a resort will be built a mile southeast of the airport. In addition, a massive plaza south of LAX will be built, with 36 restaurants and 8 stores will be built. Also, a 5,000,000 square foot mall will be built, with 80 of the mall being built underground. 4 luxury hotels will be built in the vicinity of LAX. In total, the mass expansion of LAX, along with the resort, the plazas, and hotels, the total cost is expected to reach $60 billion in costs. LAX, by 2030, will easily be the largest and most profitable airport in the world, expecting to cash in over $100 trillion annually. Competition is expected to rise heavily between the Skyteam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance, especially after The Etihad Group and Emirates joined SkyTeam. The road that is currently Interstate 405 east of LAX is expected to be turned into an access road for motor vehicles to get into the airport's expansion area. Also, the 405 will be moved up to 16 lanes, with 8 lanes on both side, with 4 lanes being an expressway and the other 4 being for large vehicles and regular automobiles. On September 20, 2019, Etihad CEO Kevin Atwood agreed to buy 10 airlines and their groups. These include: American Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines and their subsidiaries. The deal is worth at least $500 billion. Due to Lufthansa and British Airways both being European airlines, head bases won't be at Los Angeles, but at Frankfurt Airport and London Heathrow Airport, respectively. However, LAX will be added as a hub. STARLUX Airlines will begin their services by flying a route between Taipei and LAX with an Airbus A350-900 in 2021. Expansion On August 25, 2019, California governor Curtis Atwood IV, along with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Deborah A. Flint, the CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, and Etihad Airways CEO Kevin Atwood, announced that a 200,000 acre area of land owned by Atwood was sold for $400,000 (2019 USD) to the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports to expand LAX. In all, 24 new terminals will be constructed, along with 11,000 new gates, a new train terminal for the California Railway, and a total of 120,000 new parking spots. The deal came after increasing demand for new terminals as the city of Los Angeles became a bigger tourist contraction each year since 1990. The new terminals are expected to be used by the SkyTeam airline alliance, along with Emirates. The full project is expected to be completed by 2030 and cost approximately $45 billion (2019 USD) to construct. The terminals, in addition, will be used by American, United, JetBlue, Spirit, All Nippon Airways, and EVA Air. Due to the area being next to Interstate 405, the Interstate will be pushed 5 miles to the east and be southeast of Inglewood, while the airport will be south-southwest of Inglewood. Also, 12 new cargo terminals will be constructed for nearly a dozen cargo airlines. After the mass expansion is complete, LAX will be able to handle up to 10 billion passengers a year. Economic gains from the expansion expect to grow at least $1 trillion (2019 USD) and at least 20 million people are expected to be employed. Terminals LAX, currently, has fourteen passenger terminals with a total of 1,600 gates arranged in the shape of the letter U or a horseshoe. The terminals are served by a shuttle bus. The Freddie Mercury and Tom Bradley International Terminals and Terminals 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are all connected airside via an overground passage between Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal, an underground tunnel between Terminals 4, 5, and 6 and above-ground walkways between Terminals 6, 7, and 8. Additional airside shuttle buses operate among Terminals 4, 6, and the American Eagle remote terminal, as well as between Terminals 2, 3, and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. There are no physical airside connections between any of the other terminals. In addition to these terminals, there are 200,000,000 square feet (60,960,000 m2) of cargo facilities at LAX, and a heliport operated by Bravo Aviation. Once the expansion of LAX is complete, the airport will have 28 terminals and 14,000 gates with a total area of nearly 215,000 acres. Airlines are located in the following terminals: * Terminals 1, 2, & 3 (Gates 1-50, 51-100, 101-149): Emirates, Etihad Airways and Etihad Express. Emirates, Etihad Airways and it's subsidiary, Etihad Express, use Terminals 1, 2, and 3 for international and domestic check-in of passengers. * Terminals 4, 5, & 6 (Gates 150–199, 200–249, 250-299, 150A-199A, and 150B-199B): Delta and Delta Connection uses Terminals 4, 5, and 6 for the check-in of passengers. * Terminals 7, 8, and 9 (Gates 300-349, 350–399, 400–449, 450–499, 500–549, and 550–599): Advanced Air, Air Transat, American, American Eagle, All Nippon, Dynamic Airways, easyJet, Frontier, Iberia, JSX, Moxy, United, and United Express use Terminals 7, 8, and 9 for check-in of passengers. * Terminal 10 (Gates 600–649, 650–699, and 700-749): Alaska, Etihad Airways, San Diego Air, San Diego Air Express, Spirit, Southwest, and Volaris use Terminal 10 for the check-in of passengers. * Terminal 11 (Gates 750–799, 800–849, and 850-899): Aeroflot, Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Italy, Air New Zealand, Allegiant, Avianca, Avianca, Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca El Salvador, British Airways, California Pacific Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Evelop Airlines, IBC Airways and Lion Air use Terminal 11 for the check-in of passengers. * Terminal 12 (Gates 900–949, 950–999, 1000-1049, and 1050–1099): Alaska, American, Cape Air, Caribbean Airlines, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Frontier, Indigo, Iberia, JetBlue, Southwest, Sunwing Airlines, Titan Airways,WestJet, WestJet Encore, and WestJet Link use Terminal 12 for check-in of passengers. * Terminal 13, 14, 15, and 16 (Gates 1100-1699): Etihad and Etihad Express use Terminals 13-16 for check-in of passengers. * Terminal 17 and 18 (1700-2099): Air Bengal, Delta, Delta Connection, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Etihad Express use Terminals 17 and 18 for check-in of passengers. * Terminal 19, 20, and 21 (2100-4699): American, American Eagle, Delta, Delta Connection, OneJet, Omni Air, Taos Air, Ultimate Air Shuttle, United and United Express use Terminals 19, 20, and 21 for arrivals and departures. * Terminal 22 (4700-5999): Aeromexico, Air China, Air France, American, American Eagle, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Dragon, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Etihad Express, EVA Air, Flybe, Frontier, Iberia, Indigo, JetBlue, Korean Air, Ryanair, San Diego Air, San Diego Air Express, SCAT Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United, and United Express * Kevin Atwood International Terminal (KAIT) (Gates 6000-6199, 6200-6699) Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Bengal, Air China, Air France, Azores Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, and XL Airways France will use KAIT for arrivals and departures. * George Washington International Terminal (GWIT) (Gates 6700-8999) Aegean Airlines, Air Albania, airBaltic, Air Berlin, Air Botswana, Air Canada, Air Malta, Alitalia, ASL Airlines Ireland, Belavia, Bulgaria Air, Condor, Croatia Airlines, Egyptair, El Al, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, NokScoot, Nordica, Nordwind Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Yemenia use GWIT for arrivals and departures. * Freddie Mercury International Terminal (FMIT) (Gates 9000-9049, 9150-9199, 9200-9249, 9250-9299, 9300-9349, 9350-9399, 9400-9449, 9450-9499, 9500-9999, 10000-11999): Aigle Azur, Air Belgium, Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, Air Koryo, Alitalia, Arkia Israeli Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Condor, Cubana de Aviación, Delta, Edelweiss, EuroAtlantic Airways, Egyptair, El Al, Etihad, Eurowings, EVA, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flybe, Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Interjet, Japan Airlines, Jet2.com, Jet Airways, KLM, Korean Air, La Compagnie, LATAM Brasil, LATAM Chile, LATAM Ecuador, Level, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Max Air, Middle East Airlines, Mokulele Airline, Monarch Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Norwegian Air Sweden, Norwegian Air UK, Norwegian Long Haul, Okay Airways, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Porter Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Rossiya Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei, Royal Jordanian, Rwandair, Sao Tome & Principe Airways, Saudia, Scandinavian Airlines, Scoot, Shenzhen Airlines, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, SkyBahamas Airlines, Skymark Airlines, South African Airways, SriLankan, Surinam Airways, Swiss International Airlines, SyrianAir, TAAG Angola, TAME, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Tibet Airlines, TUI Airways, TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Netherlands, Tunsiair, Turkish Airlines, Turkmenistan Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Vietnam Airlines. Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, VivaAerobus, Volaris Costa Rica, Vueling, Wamos Air, White Air, WOW Air, XiamenAir, XL Airways France, and Yemenia use FMIT for arrivals and departures. * Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) (Gates 12000-14800): Aer Lingus, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Afriqiyah Airways, Air Asia X, Air Astana, Air Austral, Air Algérie, Aircalin, Air Caraïbes, Air Do, Air Europa, Air Greenland, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius, Air Namibia, Air Niugini, Air Peace, Air Senegal, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Tanzania, Air Zimbabwe, Arik Air, Asiana Airlines, AtlasGlobal, Austrian Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Bahamasair, Bamboo Airways, Beijing Capital Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Boutique Air, Brussels Airlines, Cabo Verde Airlines, Camair-Co, Cayman Airways, CEIBA Intercontinental, Corsair, CSA Czech Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Eritrean Airlines, Fiji Airways, Finnair, French Bee, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hainan Airlines, Hi Fly, Hi Fly Malta, Hong Kong Airlines, Icelandair, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, Jordan Aviation, Juneyao Airlines, Kam Air, Libyan Airlines, Meraj Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Onur Air, Pegas Fly, Qeshm Air, STARLUX Airlines, TAROM, Tropic Ocean Airways, and Utair use TBIT for arrivals and departures. 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